What is "welfare queen"

n. (context US pejorative English) A woman collecting welfare, seen as doing so out of laziness, rather than genuine need.

"Welfare queen" is a pejorative term used in the U.S. to refer to women who allegedly collect excessive welfare payments through fraud or manipulation. Reporting on welfare fraud began during the early 1960s, appearing in general-interest magazines such as Readers Digest. The term "welfare queen" dates from a 1974 Jet magazine story.

Since then, the phrase has remained a stigmatizing label and is most often directed toward black, single mothers. Although women in the U.S. could no longer stay on welfare indefinitely after the federal government launched the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in 1996 , the term continues to be a trope in the American dialogue on poverty.